It is widely viewed in the Indian business community that the competent, but aging Prime Minister Manmohan Singh lost his zeal for reform and that Rahul Gandhi committed too late in the game to express a desire to lead in a party which has run out of ideas to jumpstart growth.

Prior to the global banking crisis India was humming along, with growth of over 9% for a handful of years.

You probably remember when comparisons were being made about the two towers of the emerging markets, China and India.

A state-run apparatus stacked up against the sprawling democratic structure of India, with chief ministers of states controlling so much power.

In the Congress party era, names like Tata and Infosys came to the fore. We understood the vibrancy and productivity of Bollywood. And we are well aware of the rising middle class in India.

India is a young country. Nearly half are under the age of 26. Despite the wealth creation in the past decade, about 850 million Indians live outside major cities and remain dependent on farming.

According to a poll by Pew Research ahead of the vote, both these blocks favor the BJP party by a margin of 3 to 1. They think Chief Minister Narenda Modi is better positioned to cut bureaucracy, tackle corruption and revive growth.

They were probably were led to that position by the three numbers that have clearly undermined support for the Congress party.